Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes once again had his hands full at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday, and once again, he came through like a champion.

The reigning AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike king was pushed to the brink by National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Roger Hayden in a virtual repeat of Saturday’s tense final-lap showdown to conclude the Triumph SuperBike Classic presented by America’s First Federal Credit Union in epic fashion.

The race took shape in the early stages as a four-rider shootout with Hayes’ teammate, Josh Herrin, powering into the lead at the start. Herrin hounded Hayes from second over the race’s opening five laps after Hayes made an opening-lap pass while Hayden and Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Martin Cardenas stalked just behind the Yamaha duo.

Herrin sliced up the inside of Hayes entering ‘Charlotte’s Web’ on lap 6 and led the next two laps, bunching the pack back up after it threatened to break apart. Hayes retook the lead on lap 8 and Herrin made a crucial mistake a pair of laps later. That allowed Hayden to snatch second and close in on Hayes’ rear wheel, where he would remain for the remainder of the race.

The Kentuckian was within striking distance on the contest’s final lap, but that last circulation played out just as it had the day before, with the experienced triple champion never making a mistake or allowing his hungry rival an opportunity to find a way through into the lead.

Hayes launched off the final corner and beat Hayden to the stripe by a scant 0.221-second margin following 21-nailbiting laps.

A relieved Hayes said, “That was a really hard race. I was driving as hard as I could and trying to push it until everyone’s tires were junk at the end so hopefully nobody could make any moves. I was trying to pick my lines smart so I didn’t make any mistakes. It got pretty greasy and I had my share of mistakes still but fortunately I did it in spots where it wasn’t easy to get by. Fortunately, it was enough. Rog rode an incredible weekend and Josh was riding really well at the beginning… It’s a big testament to my team and a lot of hard work. Fortunately we have a lot of years of development in that machine and we can get to a good place pretty quickly. I really enjoyed the race — it’s fun having a close race and pushing hard all the way to the end. The last lap, for me, was as harrowing for me as lap 2. It was really fun, I really enjoyed it, and I’m really looking forward to going to Mid-Ohio.”

“My start wasn’t as good as yesterday,” Hayden joked, referring to his Saturday jumpstart. “So I had to come from a little further back. You know, I just sat behind Josh the whole race but never got close enough to pass him. Sometimes he got a small gap but the last couple laps I was right on his back tire just trying to find a place to make a pass. I was starting to slide around a little bit and so was he. Every time I tried to get a good run on him the last two laps I could never get that little bit more I needed to take a shot at it.”

Herrin regrouped and successfully defended third from Colombian Cardenas, eventually escaping to secure the final spot on the podium some ten seconds behind the race for the win.

“It was good at the beginning — as you can see, I still need to work on how fast I go once I get the lead,” Herrin admitted. “I was trying my hardest. The middle of the race is what I need to work on. Both days I was decent in the beginning, seem to fall off in the middle, and then regroup at the end and seem to hold the gap to first. So at least I know I can ride good on the tires at the end of the race. Now I just need to go home and work on my fitness a little bit more… I can’t wait until Mid-Ohio. Mid-Ohio is going to be the middle of the season and it’s time to turn things around and prove that I can run up front the whole race.”

Foremost Insurance Pegram Racing’s Larry Pegram chased down Jordan Suzuki’s Danny Eslick throughout the race, finally making his move to steal away fifth position on the final lap.

Meanwhile, KTM/HMC Racing’s Chris Fillmore came out on top of a race-long, five-rider scrap for seventh. He edged Team Hero EBR’s Geoff May, KTM teammate Taylor Knapp, Motosport.com Motul Fly Racing’s David Anthony, and Team AMSOIL/Hero EBR’s Aaron Yates for the spot.

Hayes’ second consecutive perfect points haul weekend has thrust him right back into the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike title fight. The Mississippian moved into second with his fourth win in six races and trails Cardenas by just 10 points. He is now in position to take control of the championship lead at the next GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing event at Mid-Ohio with another weekend sweep.

Next Up

The 2013 GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing season will resume on July 12-14 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio for the Buckeye Superbike Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire.

This season’s GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing action is being broadcast on CBS Sports Network as part of the CBS Sports Spectacular. Fans can find CBS Sports Network on their TV by using the channel finder at http://www.cbssportsnetwork.com/channel-finder.

Stay connected with GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing on social media at http://twitter.com/AMAProSBK and http://www.facebook.com/AMAProRoadRacing.

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